Loan fraud: A sufferer’s account

Express News Service
KOZHIKODE: Thrissur native Jobesh Joseph, who misplaced his job with an occasion administration firm in Kozhikode when Covid struck, is amongst those that have fallen prey to on-line mortgage utility fraud. Realising he had been duped, he stopped paying cash. However, he then began receiving threats which prompted him to file complaints, first with the Kozhikode police after which with the Cyber Cell.

“On December 7, I withdrew my complaint with the Cyber Cell after I realised that it was not going to do any good,” mentioned Jobesh who’s now on a mission to create consciousness about such scams. He mentioned it began with a Google search.

“I was looking up loan schemes to start my art company. Soon, my phone was flooded with messages detailing various schemes. I chose ‘Liquid cash’ app,” Jobesh mentioned. He was sanctioned Rs 3,000 of which Rs 1,900 was transferred to his account whereas the remainder was taken by the agency as processing cost and curiosity. “I used to be requested to repay inside seven days.

Later, they gave me Rs 8,000. However, the rate of interest began taking pictures as much as the purpose that I used to be unable to repay. Soon, folks talking in Hindi began calling me and threatening me. They additionally had my cellphone, Aadhaar, PAN and different particulars and will monitor the whole lot I used to be doing in my cellphone,” he mentioned.

The “agents” then started calling his spouse, buddies and different kin and defamed him. “Several WhatsApp groups were started and messages with my photographs were shared among my contacts. I paid Rs 1.6 lakh as interest and processing charge to the firm,” he mentioned. Now, smartphones are a nightmare for Jobesh.